this issue - Positively Promoting Piqua

ISSUE
09
Q3-2014
QUARTERLY
UPDATE OF
POSITIVELY
PROMOTING
PIQUA
PPP NEWS
this issue
Down the River, Down a Beer P.1
Safety Levy on Nov 4 Ballot P.1
Rock Piqua! Smashing Success P.2
Rotary Club Celebrates 100 Years P.3
Miami Valley Cycling Summit P.3
Bike Path Bridge Ready for Crossing P.4
Calendar of Events P.4
www.positivepiqua.org
Visit us on Facebook
Another Great Reason to Love Piqua and the Miami River
Mission
statement
We are Positively
Promoting Piqua, a
diverse group of Piqua
citizens, including
wage earners, retirees,
responsible property
owners, and local
business, professional
and civic leaders,
united to help Piqua be
the best it can be and
focused on positive
efforts to help Piqua
improve and grow
as an outstanding
community in which to
live and work.
By Stacy Scott
Great things are happening in Piqua and a lot of fun
and excitement is being generated along the riverfront.
Citizens, business and community leaders have all been
working together to provide many quality community
events that promote one of our great natural assets, the
Miami River. The newest event was generated by a local
couple who have a passion for Piqua and good beer.
Dr. Jim and Cheryl Burkhardt are organizing a new event
called “Down the River, Down a Beer”. This event will
be held on Saturday, October 4, 2014, from 4-7pm. This
recreational event is meant to attract people to the
riverfront area to raise the profile of the water trail
and the recreational trail system. This is a ticketed
fundraiser event that will offer samplings of a variety of
specialty beers and food paired from local restaurants,
Mulligan’s, 311 Drafthouse, Z’s, Beppo Uno, Buffalo
Wings and Rings and Winans.
Safety Levy on Nov 4 Ballot
By Sharon Semanie
On Nov. 4 voters will be asked to vote in favor of a
2014 Public Safety Income Tax Referendum which, if
passed, will place a 0.25 percent increase on the city’s
income tax.
According to the Piqua Citizens for Safety committee,
the increased revenue-approximately $1 million
annually- will pay for the addition of five new police
officers and retention of six firefighters currently
funded through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency Response (SAFER) grant which is nonrenewable. Any remaining funds will go toward the
operational and equipment needs identified by the
Piqua Police Department and Piqua Fire Department.
The beer and food tasting will take place at Lock Nine
Park. Participants at the event can also be shuttled to
participate in a canoe float which will launch at E. Ash
Street Bridge and continue around the bend in the river
to a takeout location just south of Lock Nine. The canoe
take out will be near the beer and food tasting area
where they can then socialize, eat, drink and enjoy music
by Jimmy Felts.
“Down the River, Down a Beer” is coordinated in an effort
to raise funds to support the maintenance and promotion
of the river corridor and the recreational trail system.
Anyone interest in supporting this event by purchasing
tickets, volunteering to work or sponsoring the event
should contact Mainstreet Piqua, 937-773-9355 or
info@mainstreetpiqua.com. Tickets will also be available
at Can’t Stop Running on Main Street, Piqua.
Safety committee members emphasize that city
income tax is not collected on income from social
security, pension, unemployment benefits, military
pay, poor relief (public assistance) or alimony
received. In addition, interest, dividends and capital
gains are not taxed.
The additional levy funding, it was explained, will not
increase salaries for either department. “In short,”
organizers add “the additional staffing is about
keeping the community/neighborhoods safe and
protecting families.”
Positively Promoting Piqua (PPP) has extended its
endorsement to passage of the Nov. 4 referendum
and encourages all voters to support this effort
because “when emergencies happen, people matter”.
We Believe In
Striving To Be an Outstanding
Community
Piqua needs a comprehensive
program to make our community
a great place – and a more
attractive community for our
citizens, our businesses, their
employees, and business
leaders.
Keeping Piqua on a Path Forward
We need to keep our City on
a positive, progressive path –
poised for economic development
and providing an excellent quality
of life for our citizens.
Speaking Up for Positive
Solutions
Affirmative, positive action by the
many Piqua citizens who agree
with our principles is needed to
oppose the forces of negativity
in our community. Remaining a
silent majority on Piqua’s future is
not a viable option.
A Well-Informed Community
We need to work together to
provide the community with
accurate information on issues
that affect the citizens
of Piqua.
Positive Piqua News!
The Reviews are In: Rock Piqua! 2014 Was a Smash Success
By Dan Ramer
The inaugural season of the Rock Piqua! concert series
concluded in downtown Piqua on July 26 with an
outstanding evening of music by Me vs. Gravity and the
headline act, regional favorite Nashville Crush. Despite
a late shower, the concert was a lively and entertaining
success, drawing more than 2,500 people to Lock Nine
Riverfront Park in downtown Piqua, on the Great Miami
River waterfront.
Positively Promoting Piqua is proud to have been
a “Headline” sponsor of Rock Piqua! in 2014. The
riverfront concert series represents an exciting addition
to Piqua’s summer cultural scene. There were three
Rock Piqua! outdoor summer concerts – all with free
admission -- this summer. All took place on Saturday
evenings, from 7 to 11 PM, at Lock Nine Park.
The Rock Piqua! series for 2014 was presented by
the Piqua Arts Council and Mainstreet Piqua, with
some key assistance from not only PPP but the City of
Piqua, The Piqua Community Foundation, Polysource,
and Ameriprise Financial. A number of other Piqua
organizations, businesses and individuals also stepped
up to help sponsor and stage the series. Volunteers
were a critical part of the success of the series, noted
volunteer coordinators Jeanie Bates and Nancy Luce. As
Bates noted, “We couldn’t have done it without them,
and even if we could, it wouldn’t have been half as much
fun!”
While the 2014 series concluded in July with a great
show, the first two concerts were also big hits. On
June 28, Eric Jerardi kicked off the very first Rock
Piqua! concert with an outstanding display of the rockand-blues authenticity for which he has become well
known in this area. The warm-up act for the concert
was Satellite Flight. The weather was beautiful for this
inaugural Rock Piqua! event and a large and enthusiastic
crowd of more than 1,800 greeted the performers.
The second Rock Piqua! concert, on June 28,
represented a high point of the 2014 summer season in
Piqua. On a warm but dry summer night, the program
began with a performance by Mark Cantwil and the
Punch Drunk Heroes, who put on a terrific show of
well known tunes from a variety of artists, including
Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and Dire Straits. The
featured act on June 28 was rising country-rock act
Clark Manson. A young and energetic crowd of more
than 3,000 people streamed into Lock Nine Park as
Manson and his band put on a sensational show from
start to finish, with fans packed around the stage.
As was noted by Jordan Knepper of the Piqua Arts
Council, “This is a new and different kind of event
for our community. These concerts are designed to
appeal to a younger, hipper demographic than Piqua
downtown events have traditionally targeted.” Food
trucks were onsite for all of the Rock Piqua! concerts
and bottled water, soft drinks, beer, and wine were
available for purchase.
A principal goal of the Rock Piqua! concert series is to
draw people to Piqua’s downtown riverfront, so we
can appreciate the Great Miami River for its natural
beauty and recreation potential. The Rock Piqua!
team is hoping to thereby encourage the community
to take advantage of the many opportunities that
the River -- and the Recreational Path that runs along
it -- provide for fishing, boating, kayaking, stand-uppaddle boarding, running, walking, cycling . . . or just
sightseeing. This is a tremendous community asset.
Let’s take advantage of it!
Rock Piqua! organizers will be meeting soon to begin
planning a slate of concerts for 2015. It is expected
that at least some of next year’s events will coordinate
with river-focused afternoon activities preceding the
evening concerts, to help expand the community’s
awareness of and appreciation for Piqua’s downtown
riverfront.
To keep current on Rock Piqua!’s plans as next spring
approaches, you can check out the Rock Piqua! web
site, www.rockpiqua.com. You are also encouraged to
visit Rock Piqua! on Facebook.
Forward-Thinking Leadership
Committed to Working for Piqua
as a Whole
We need elected representatives
and city officials who are
intelligent, well-informed,
experienced and forward thinking,
who are committed to working for
the benefit of Piqua as a whole,
who face our problems squarely,
who want Piqua to be a strong,
clean, and safe community in
which to work and live, and
who develop and implement
innovative programs to achieve
these objectives.
Clark Manson on stage at Rock Piqua!
We Believe In
Positive Piqua News!
Supporting Our Public
Piqua Rotary Club Celebrates
One Hundred Years
Amenities
Our public amenities, including
By Sharon Semanie
our streets, our city parks
and other recreational areas,
our schools and our public
library, make up an important
part of the fabric of the Piqua
community. We must work
In celebration of the Piqua Rotary Club’s
100th anniversary, a special evening is
planned on Thursday, October 23, at the
Fort Piqua Plaza featuring keynote speaker
Michael Angelo Caruso. The event is open to
the public.
Rotary President Stacy Wall reports that the
evening is entitled “A Century of Service…
An Evening of Inspiration and Laughter“.
Festivities will get under way with a social
at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30. The
program will begin at 7:15. Tickets are $40
per person To make reservations, contact
the Piqua Area Chamber of Commerce at
(937) 773-2765.
Caruso, an active Rotarian himself, will share
his thoughts on “How to Engage Someone
in 15 Seconds”. His program will cover how
to execute the perfect handshake, diffuse
an angry customer, craft an impressive
elevator speech, create value in the first
10 words you say to someone, and much
more. “Use this content to become a better
person, be more influential, and even get
promoted,” he explains. “Everyone can
make a better first”.
The Piqua Rotary Club is an international
service organization comprised of both
men and women. The Piqua Club meets
Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m. at Edison Community
College. The local club has long been active
in providing scholarships to graduating
seniors, partnering with the Neckline
Learning Center, sponsoring Four-Way
Speech contests, honoring individuals who
exemplify pride in workmanship, hosting
group study and student exchanges and
sponsoring a high school Interact Club.
By Mike Gutmann
The Miami Valley Cycling Summit (MVCS) is coming
to PIQUA OHIO in May, 2015. It will be held in
and around the Fort Piqua Plaza, a nationally
recognized historic building housing the public
library, a conference center, restaurant, and coffee
shop.
together as a community to
The MVCS is a regional initiative aimed at
transforming communities in the Miami Valley
into more bicycle friendly places. The summit
is conducted as an interactive conference-style
program aimed at securing nationally respected
speakers and professionals in the filed of bicycle
advocacy. The theme for the 2015 summit is
CYCLING CULTIVATES . . . . The idea behind this
theme is that cycling “cultivates” or helps to
nurture and grow: business, community, economic
development, tourism, wellness, and more!
We want Piqua and its
Session presentations spark discussions about
what is next for the Miami Valley in regards to
cycling. Bike friendly business, better connectivity
of bikeways to neighborhoods, community
engagement, promotion of travel and tourism,
education and encouragement of cycling, and
infrastructure design and management will be
some of the priorities, as well as encouraging more
cities in the region to be designated as bicycle
friendly.
It is the planning committee’s goal to create a
program that illustrates stories -- both nationally
and regionally -- of the benefits of cycling. Past
cycling summits have inspired elected officials,
industry leaders, local citizens, bicycling advocates
and local planners to create similar success stories
in and around the Miami Valley.
The next planning meeting will be held on Monday,
September 22, 2014 in the Piqua City Commission
chambers. For more information, contact Mike
Gutmann at 937-773-3212.
support them and keep them
in good condition and appropriately funded.
The Importance of Great
Neighborhoods
neighborhoods to be the best
they can be. The appearance
of our neighborhoods, and our
willingness as a community to
stand up for their appearance,
are vital. The majority of
Piqua people take pride
in their property and our
neighborhoods. But we cannot
afford to ignore neighborhood
blight and its negative effect on
our community as a whole. For
this reason, Piqua
needs to continue its
focus on improving
our neighborhoods.
Putting Our Best Foot Forward,
to Help Grow Piqua Now
We need to constantly
recognize that Piqua competes
with many other communities
for businesses, jobs and
people. We need to act and
look our best, to help Grow
Piqua Now succeed.
A Great Future for Piqua
We see Piqua as a community
with a great future before it.
We need to work together,
in a positive and cooperative
manner, to achieve this vision
and sustain it, for Piqua’s
citizens today and those coming
www.cyclingsummit.com
after us.
New Bike Path Bridge Ready for Crossing
By Amanda Smith
The Great Miami River Recreational
Trail is now complete in Miami County
as construction on the Robert J. Shook
Bikeway Bridge comes to an end. The
official bridge dedication ceremony will
take place on October 3 at 3 p.m.
The bridge is named after Robert J. Shook,
long-time bike trail advocate and chairman
of the Miami County Trails Task Force.
“The Park District Board of Commissioners
thought it would be fitting to honor Bob
and his efforts by naming the bridge after
him,” says J. Scott Myers the executive
director for the Miami County Park District.
“Bob’s commitment to completing the
bikeway has been unwavering, even in the
face of tough obstacles.”
www.positivepiqua.org
“LIKE” us on Facebook!
Contributing Editors
Alissa Blankenship
Mike Gutmann
Daniel Ramer
Mary Frances Rodriguez
Sharon Semanie
Stacy Scott
Amanda Smith
Artists Rendering Above | Actual Bridge Below
Cyclists, walkers and runners are now
able to travel on one continuous trail
from Piqua to the Montgomery County
line where it connects to over 330 miles
of bikeway in southwestern Ohio. The
bikeway has become an important asset
for the community and on any given day,
hundreds of people use it as part of a
healthy lifestyle. The Great Miami River
Recreational Trail in Miami County is part
of the Nation’s largest network of paved,
off-street trails.
Facebook is an easy and fun way to learn about the positive things happening in our community! “LIKE” us on,
Positively Promoting Piqua, and stay informed. You will receive all the latest happenings in the city:
Piqua alerts, community events, charity events, and city news. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be in the loop!
Calendar of Special Events
Piqua Public Library Display - September 15 through October 13
View photos taken by professional photographer and author Andy Snow. These images were recently displayed at the
Dayton Art Institute and portray devastation “before and after” the flood of 1913.
Tipp City Mum Festival - September 26-28
Car show, parade, festival food, and entertainment for all ages.
Moonlight Stride and Ride - September 27 7:45pm
Take this rare opportunity to be on Piqua’s beautiful bike path after dark. The path will be lined with candles to light
the way and this year bikers, walkers and runners will meet at Lock 9 in downtown Piqua.
2nd Annual Harvest Moon and Balloon Fest - October 3, 4 & 5
Hot air balloon glows, free kiddie rides, pumpkin decorating, horse drawn wagon rides, rock climbing, zip-lining,
Columbus Zoon animals, wine tasting, beer garden and much more! Admission is $5 (12 and under free).
Visit www.miamicountyohiofair.com for additional information.
For information about
commission and other public
meetings held in Piqua visit
www.piquaoh.org.
Chocolate Walk - October 3 5:30-8pm
Spend the evening visiting over 20 downtown Piqua businesses and pick up a chocolate treat at each destination.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at Mainstreet Piqua, 326 N. Main Street or Readmore’s Hallmark.
Groovy Gourd Bike Tour - October 11 8am Registration and 9:30am Start Time
Bikers choose a 6.5, 25 or 50 mile ride and enjoy biking along the Miami County bike paths. Tour starts at City of
Piqua Municipal Government Complex, 201 W Water Street.Visit mainstreetpiqua.com for more information.
Fall Farm Fest - October 11 10am-5pm
Enjoy tree-lined lanes and colorful foliage at Lost Creek Reserve. All ages will enjoy the corn maze, corn cannon,
scarecrow lane, wagon rides, children’s activities and much more. For more information visit miamicountyparks.com.